The goals of the database are to reduce the incidence of inherited disorders in dogs by providing information to owners and breeders, and to facilitate the best management possible of these conditions by providing current information to veterinarians. This website will be useful for:

dog owners whose pet has been found to have an inherited condition

potential dog owners who want help in avoiding these problems when choosing a pet

veterinarians looking for current information on both well-known and more obscure genetic disorders, including diagnostic and therapeutic information

dog breeders who are looking for suggestions on how to avoid these conditions in their lines of dogs

To use the database, please click on the appropriate link, or type in the name of a disorder or breed in the search box at the top of the page. On each disorder page, you will find a description of the condition, information about how the disorder is inherited, consequences of the condition for you and your dog, and recommended or required care by both owner and veterinarian. There is also specific therapeutic or diagnostic information for veterinarians. Under dog breeds, you will find the list of breeds that are included. Each breed page lists the more serious and common disorders in that breed that are thought to have an inherited component, and each disorder is linked to the appropriate disease page.

The information in these pages is primarily clinical in nature. Please see Dr. David Sargan's site Inherited Diseases in Dogs for more detailed information, where available, on inheritance patterns, mutations, and DNA testing. Another interesting site, authored by Dr. Frank Nicholas, is Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA), which is a database of genes, inherited disorders, and traits in more than 135 animal species.